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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Where can I ________________ my mobile?
  2. I met an old friend of ________________ the other day.
  3. When I cough twice, that's your ________________ to come into the room.
  4. He was blown up by a land ________________.
  5. We came to a ________________ in the road and had no idea which direction to go.
  6. She's sitting on a gold ________________.
  7. We usually eat with a knife, ________________ and spoon.
  8. You can't play pool without a ________________ stick.
  9. The ________________ was covered with snow, as far as the eye could see.
  10. The sailing ship dropped anchor in the ________________.
  11. There's no middle ________________.
  12. I'd give my right ________________ to be ambidextrous.
  13. Don't do anything ________________.
  14. She sat on the ________________ of the sofa.
  15. The tickets are free of ________________.
  16. Use a garden ________________ to turn the soil.
  17. My mare is ________________ in color.
  18. Close the lid of the trash can to keep odors and pests at ________________.
  19. Jason, who was in ________________ of the project, was dismissed for corruption.
  20. Add some ________________ pepper to it.
  21. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  22. I'll take my ________________ from you.
  23. My father caught me by the ________________.
  24. I seem to be developing a ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. charge — electricity
  2. mine — belonging to me
  3. cue — a signal
  4. mine — an explosive
  5. fork — in a road
  6. mine — for digging
  7. fork — to eat with
  8. cue — for pool
  9. ground — the earth
  10. bay — a part of the sea
  11. ground — a position
  12. arm — part of the body
  13. rash — hasty
  14. arm — a part of something
  15. charge — a price
  16. fork — a garden tool
  17. bay — a horse colour
  18. bay — to keep at bay
  19. charge — in control
  20. ground — crushed
  21. rash — a series
  22. cue — a hint
  23. arm — part of the body
  24. rash — on the skin

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com